Battlefield Play4Free plans staggered launch, open beta on April 4

Joystiq got to see Battlefield Play4Free in action late last night at GDC 2011 and, while a full interview is still incoming, we were able to get details on the plans for next month's beta launch. Right now the game is in closed beta, and we were told that at peak times, developer EAsy has "a few thousand" players enjoying the game so far.

On March 31, EA plans to send out codes for the beta to players of other Battlefield games, including the also free-to-play Battlefield Heroes, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Then, on April 2, invites will go out to selected followers on Twitter and Facebook, and finally, on April 4, EA will open the game up for a public beta, with an official launch later on this year.

So mark your calendars: Assuming everything goes according to EA's plan, you could be sniping fools and earning battlefunds as soon as 4/4. Stay tuned for more about the title from the hands-on event.